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Ideal as a quick fix

These retail at around 99p per sachet. I used them when I was a teenager. I wanted to colour my hair in a subtle way without spending too much money. 99p was a cheap price and I used my paper round money to buy them!

Looking back I don't know why I bothered as these sachets do NOT colour your hair. They simply add shine and a subtle HINT of colour - which washes out in around three washes. The sachets are easy to use though. You simply shampoo in the contents of the sachet and leave it to soak into your hair for around five minutes. I left mine on for around ten to fifteen minutes, giving the sachet a little more time to work. The sachets are a little messy to use as the "dye" is rather thin in consistency. The "dye" also colours your towels and stains pretty much everything that it comes into contact with. I found this a little frustrating as I didn't expect the "dye" to be that strong!

After using these sachets my hair always felt better. It was easier to manage and a lot easier to style. My hair was full of shine for days after and the effect was long lasting. The colour was easy to rinse out of my hair and the product didn't cause me any irritation either, so these are suitable for people with sensitive scalps.

I would recommend these as a quick fix. They're ideal if your hair is a little dull and lifeless. If you want to actually change the COLOUR of your hair then try something else as these don't do anything to colour your hair. I suppose these would be great to use before a night out, to give your hair some oomph.

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better than others i've heard about, perfect for first-timers

I used the Rich Mahogany colour, to change my hair colour from a light brown, and at first, i couldnt see any difference. To be honest, i thought it hadn't worked and was quite disapointed. Then, about three hours later, i looked in the mirror, and saw that my hair HAD changed, and had gone a beautiful, very rich, red brown colour. It had worked after all! It wasnt the colour shown by the model on the packaging but i hadnt expected that much, the colour i have is better than it was before, and better than some others i've heard about (it was my first time colouring my hair). I love this product, and have since bought more, unitl i make it permanent. The instructions made it very easy to use, which i found helpful, as i said, it was my first time colouring my hair, and it didnt stain my hands or my bathroom. Although i would advise people to put a towel around their neck, especcially if their hair is quite long, like mine.

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LEAVES THE HAIR IN GREAT CONDITION.

My daughter is at the age where she is trying to experiment with the way she looks. She is becoming more concious of fashion, makeup and hairstyles. I am totally astounded that there are some people in her class who have actually been allowed to dye thier hair. (she is 10!) but obviously this only makes my daughter more desperate to change her hair colour. This is not even negotiable so I have had to rack my brains to come up with some happy medium.

I sought out these wella shaders and toners, as I remember being allowed to use them when I was her age. I found them in boots. They are available in local supermarkets and chemists also. They come packaged in sachets. These sachets are suppose to have enough product in them to last two washes.

Basically this product works in a way that enhances the colour of the hair. I used blonde on my daughter because she has dark blonde hair. The method of using this toner is simple and quick. You apply to the hair when showering, leave it on for five minutes and then wash off. It does not leave any residue or mess as with normal hair dyes. It is not harsh on the hair either.

I found that this toner by weller did not make much difference in my daughters hair colour. I would say that it lightened slightly. But the main difference was in the shinyness and gloss of the finish on her hair. Her hair looked very sleek which gave a just stepped out of the salon look.

I think in order for these toners to make more of a difference, you need to use them on a regular basis. As it happens my daughter was more than pleased with this toner on the first occasion, but hasn't expressed a wish to tone her hair again. She has moved on to the next new must have trend.

I think these toners are great. They are only 66p a sachet. which I think is pretty good value for money. If you are looking for a product that isgoing to dramatically change your hair colour, then this hair product is not for you. But if you are looking for something that will enhance your hair colour and maybe lift it a little then this is pretty good. I loved the condition it left on my daughters hair. It seemed to work well as a hair treatment. It left her hair looking very nourished and glossy.

The smell of this product is not at all chemical or harsh. It has a perfumed fruity smell to it which i think adds to the whole pampering experience. My daughter was more than happy with the whole toning experience using this product. She reacted as though it had completely changed her hair colour when in reality it hadn't made much difference. So this made us both happy.

Oh the joys of parenthood!!

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Try a semi-permanent instead.

I notice this brand has very mixed reviews, and it seems it either works on your hair or it doesn't. I've tried several shades of this brand, but unfortunately I am firmly in the 'it doesn't work on my hair' camp.

I know it doesn't claim to drastically change your hair, it's more a 'colour boost' for your natural shade, but I've found it makes little or no noticeable difference to my hair at all. My natural shade is a medium red, which is fine but I wanted to give it a bit of ooomph! However after following the instructions to the letter, and even trying my usual trick of leaving it on for much longer than recommended, I was left distinctly oomph-free. How disappointing.

If you want a slight colour enhancement, I suggest trying one of the many different semi-permanent colours on the market. They tend to wash out fairly quickly anyway.

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A hair dye I have used for years

Wella Shaders And Toners are a product I have been buying for many years, I think I was about 14 the first time I used it. You have probably seen them on the shelves of supermarkets or chemists retailing at around £1 for a little 14ml sachet of non permanent hair colorant..

The dye comes in 12 different colours which you choose depending on your own natural colour. These range from light ash blonde to plum. It should be noted that these sachets will not lighten your hair in any way so if you have darker hair choosing one of the blonde shades will be a waste of time.

Using the hair colour is easy, just lather into towel dried hair and leave on for a few minutes before washing it out again. The dye is fairly runny and a very rich colour when it comes out of the packet with a heavenly smell. It easy to apply to your hair and lather it in and it always rinses out fairly easily too. I will warn you that it can stain your bathroom and skin if you are not careful when you use it, currently my grout around my shower is in a sorry state thanks to this product.

I have fair hair and the colour I choose most often is golden sand which is described as a warm golden tone for light to dark blonde hair. It does not change my hair colour in any radical way, rather it leaves it looking and feeling soft and shiny complements my natural hair colour by bringing out it's own natural highlights. I always tend to reach for shaders and toners when my hair is feeling dull and lifeless because it is guaranteed to perk it up a bit as well as acting as a deep conditioner.

I have on occasion used some of the other shades with mixed results. I did try the copper blonde once but it left me looking ginger which was not what I wanted. I have also experimented with some of the darker shades such as deep mahogany or dark brownand as my hair is so fair I do notice a fairly significant change in colour which washes out over a few weeks. All of the colours leave my hair looking wonderfully conditioned.

As I said I first discovered the shaders and toners as a teenager and when my 12 year old wanted to experiment with hair dye I directed her to this range as I knew it was safe enough for her to use. She has chestnut coloured hair and used the dark brown. Although it left her hair looking conditioned it did not seem to change the colour in any way at all so I've got a feeling it works best for people with fair hair.

I have also heard hairdressers recommend these little sachets as a way to perk your hair up between visits to the colourist. To use it in this way choose the shade closet to your hair colour to add some shine.

Like I said I've been using Shaders and Toners for the best part of 20 years as a way to give my hair some shine and help to enhance my natural colour and I'm sure I will be using it for many years to come. It's affordable, easy to use and gives me fantastic subtle results and over the years has become one of the products I can't live without.

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Good value for money - if it works!

I used this product a few months ago because I was bored of my natural mousy brown hair colour. I chose 556 Plum and 64 Warm Red to begin with. I saw the product in asda for 33p a packet so I thought I would try it, even though I had seen bad reviews on the internet.The brand has twelve shades:35 Deep Mahogany40 Dark brown55 Mahogany566 Plum64 Warm Red655 Rich Mahogany67 Rich Velvet Brown74 Flame Red803 Light Golden Brown81 Light Ash Blonde873 Golden Sand874 Copper BlondeHowever, it is hard to find them all; not all colours are stocked everywhere. It also states on the back of the packet what colour hair the dye is suited for.The dye comes out of the packet in gorgeous bright colours, with a lovely watermelon smell. I found that, unlike other dyes, it didn't stain my forehead or hands, which is very convenient

I decided to try the plum colour first of all. After doing a sensitivity test (this is important, especially if you have sensitive skin like me) I was slightly disappointed with the result, however I didn't get my hopes up too high because of bad reviews. The colour did show up, however didn't make enough difference for anyone to notice.After a week or so, I tried the 'warm red' colour, which was fantastic! I applied it in a rush five minutes before work on a saturday morning, even so, the colour was gorgeous, though subtle. I think that the colour really suited me; I had quite a few nice compliments! However, I did want something that was a little brighter.Not being able to find the same colour again, I tried the '55 Mahogany' colour, which, in my opinion, turned out much the same colour was 'Warm Red'. This time, I asked my mother to apply the dye as before I seemed to be dyeing the top more than the rest! I used two sachets this time, as well as leaving it on for longer (about ten minutes) so that the colour would last longer and become brighter. I was impressed - the colour lasted a few weeks and was lovely and bright. Two months on, my hair colour is nearly back to its original colour, however I'm left with roots of a slightly lighter colour (hardly anyone can tell, however it is still fairly annoying!)

Overall, this product is great for those seeking a subtle change to their hair colour, even just to add a bit of shine. I will warn anyone intending to use it, however, that it may not all wash out, or may not even show up at all!

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I got bored of my natural blonde hair colour and picked up this product from superdrug for 99p. it hasnt changed my hair colour ONE BIT.To be honest not even the different shades of blonde change my hair colour.This sucks.I guess you get what you pay for!

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Waste of money

Introduction

I get really bored of my dull light brownish hair and this week I decided I wanted something more exotic, like a deep brown. Being pale and a big scaredy cat I thought I'd try a wash out colour first to check it would look ok, and I came across this. It was 99p in Superdrug and also buy one get one free, so it seemed like a great deal, especially compared to brands like L'oreal casting creme gloss. I now now that it is so cheap because it doesnt actually do anything. Very shady!

Packaging and colour range

The packaging is a silver foil packet with blue design and a model on the front who is wearing the shade, apparantly. I suspect they have used proper hair dye on these models though, no way could they get those results with this stuff. It is a tear design which is a bit annoying in the shower with wet hands, and leads to shader and toner all over the shower door (if you're clumsy and useless like me that is) Thankfully it rinses off very easily! One plus of this stuff is that at least it doesn't dye all of the shower funny colours...it's not strong enough to dye anything!

There is a range of colours in many shades of blonde, red and brown. I went for dark brown but they also had rich velvet brown which is lighter, plus warm red, mahogany (also red), plum and light golden blonde and golden sand, both quite cheap looking beachy blonde colours. As well I think I have seen light ash blonde, copper blonde and deep mahoganey, so a wide range of shades. Check the wella website for the full range of colours available but bear in mind that most shops don't stock the full range. They come with recommendations as to which colours will work best on which hair colours, such as dark brown works best on light to mid brown hair.

Generally they say that it is very difficult to go lighter with non permanent dyes. If you are planning to go blonde and have brown hair I can tell you now that it's not going to work. The only effect the blonde shades will have is to pick up golden tones already in the hair and brighten them, but without any peroxide they simply can't lighten hair very much.

Directions for use

The idea is that you lather the product in like a shampoo, taking care not to splash any on your skin in case it dyes (i doubt this product is even powerful enough to dye skin) leave it for five minutes and then just rinse out. The results are supposed to last for about three washes depending on the condition of your hair, but the packet says that the effect on grey or bleached hair will be more intense (as in it might actually work maybe?). The packet also warns against leaving it on for more than the directed five minutes and the usual stuff like rinsing well if it goes into your eyes.

The product itself

The dark brown version came out of the packet an odd, if quite appealing purpley colour. It smells delicious, like watermelons, and it lathers up easily in your hair. It actually lathers in clear not brown or purple which means it is quite easy to miss a bit! It also rinses out well and is easy to rinse off skin and shower surfaces like I said before!

The results

Ok so my hair smelt faintly of watermelon, and I do absolutely love the smell of this stuff. But the colour was not remotely different. At first I thought MAYBE my roots were a bit darker but they weren't. If anything the golden tones in my hair seemed stronger, so my hair looked LIGHTER. What a waste of time and of 99p that could have been spent on chocolate or something. It didn't make my hair especially soft or shiny, at least not any more that I noticed, and I was just generally disappointed.

It also says on the packet that the effect is stronger if you wash your hair with it each time. So the next day I tried again, thinking maybe a cumulative effect would show a subtle colour change. In short, no it didn't, and I have now run out and won't be buying more to check if three applications makes it work.I was really disappointed with this because the colour did look really beautiful on the packaging and I was looking forward to seeing my new look!

My advice is to not waste your money buying these. I have never personally tried the L'oreal version (as advertised by Penelope Cruz!) but I know people who have and they seem to give a much better result. These may be bargainous but it may be one situation where you do indeed get what you pay for.

If you are interested in getting them, they are 99p from most Boots and Superdrug stores. Remember to always read the ingredients list just in case there's something nasty in there that you might be allergic to, and if so steer clear.

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A cheap tempoary fix for colouring hair in between salon visits

I thought I'd tell you about a fantastic product which I use and have found to be one of the best temporary hair colorants I have tried.

The product is by Wella and called Shaders & Toners and is a 14ml sachet with enough of the wash in/wash out colour shampoo to do one wash. It's around 75p - 99p in supermarkets, chemists etc and occasionally Tesco have it on offer for 2 for 99p or BOGOF (buy one get one free) The claim is that it will add instant colour & shine to your hair.

I have naturally mid brown hair but have had dyed a rich brown with blonde highlights on top .those blonde highlights can start to look a bit dull and faded after about 4-6 weeks of getting them done and as a student I just can't afford the £50-£60 it costs to have them done every 6 weeks .so I have to look around for a cheaper alternative that isn't going to damage my hair further as I usually leave it about 3 months between salon visits if I can help it!

I first discovered Shaders & Toners years ago as a teenager experimenting with colouring my mousy brown hair .and then stopped colouring my hair when I turned about 20 so had no need for this product again until 3 years ago.

My preferred shade is the Light Ash Blonde as this really brightens up my pale blonde highlights and makes them look as good (if not better) than the day I had them done in the salon! So the rest of this review will refer to this shade although I have tried over the years a few of the others, which work just as well.

The sachet shows a picture of a pretty girl with gorgeous pale blonde hair. This sachet has a small tear at the sides near the top to enable you to rip it open when needed. This is an extremely easy sachet to open, even with wet hands (a real bonus as anyone who has tried to open a sachet in a shower will tell you!)

How I use this product .I first of all soak my hair and squeeze out some of the excess water, I then squeeze the thick dark purple liquid from the sachet (be careful with this as it can get on your clothing but it will wash out) it feels like a normal shampoo. I lather it into my hair paying careful attention the ends and all parts which are blonde, this doesn't colour my darker brown hair but does make it shine. The recommended time to leave this on your hair is for 5 minutes but I usually pop it on my hair, wrap an old towel around my hair and jump in a bath .half an hour or so later I'll rinse it off until the water runs clear and then just use my normal conditioner leaving it on for 5 minutes (I used to not bother with conditioner but since the water board changed our pipes my hair feels like straw after every single wash so conditioner is a must for me)

Once I have blow dried my hair I can notice a very visible difference my tired looking blonde highlights now shine and look brighter and blonder than before.I usually get on the same bus every morning for college and sit with one of my daughter's friend's mum who is on same bus .so she sees me every weekday usually, and this morning she asked me if I had been and gotten my hair done again as it looked so blonde and shinier than usual. This was all the proof I needed that this product actually works.

Of course this will only work if your hair is blonde, don't go expecting dark brown/black hair to instantly turn blonde in 5 minutes using this .for that you would need to use something stronger!

The Colour normally lasts me a week-2 weeks( I wash my hair 2-3 times a week) so for less than a pound this is really a bargain buy for me and lets me put off that trip to the salon for a few weeks longer or until I can really see my roots showing! LOL

There are lots of cautions on the back of the packaging  Use only as directed ( I never do lol) Can cause an allergic reaction ingredients are listed on label so you can see for yourself if there are any that you know you are allergic to. Do not use to dye eyelashes/brows Do not exceed development time stated (wooops) Immediately rinse any spillages on skin or clothing as staining can occur I've always managed to get the purple tinge off my skin with a little soap, and I usually use an old towel when colouring hair anyway although the colour hasn't stained it as yet.

On that note I will add a little bit of my own advise ..Don't visit your salon getting harsh chemicals put in your hair every six weeks as you can save yourself a little money and keep your hair looking just as good at home using this product. Give it a try ..for under a quid what have you got to lose?